Summary: Ever since the death of her parents, Elsa has felt that she is alone in the world with her unique abilities. But a chance encounter with a strange man at her job pulls her, Anna and Kristoff into a dangerous but fantastical world of magic and endless wonder. With new friends at their side, Elsa and Anna have a chance to learn more about their parents, the powers they both possess, and work to save the world from rogue magic and artifacts as agents of the Phoenix Division.
Phoenix
Ch. 1: Strange Meeting
An alarm in a bedroom went off and almost immediately a delicate hand shot out from under the covers of the bed to shut it off. A second later a head of long platinum blonde hair followed which was then brushed away from the face. Elsa let out a long yawn as she stretched and hopped out of the bed. She immediately shuffled to the closet, shaking her head and rubbing the remnants of sleep out of her eyes.
'What should I wear today?' she thought to herself.
Finally she settled on grey jeans and an ice blue shirt that had an intricate frost inspired pattern on it. After applying some makeup and putting her hair in her signature French braid, Elsa walked to the kitchen, stopping outside her sister's door and knocking on it.
"Anna, are you awake?"
"Hm? Urm… yeah, I'm awake. I've been up for hours…" was the sleepy reply that was then followed by what sounded suspiciously like snoring.
Elsa smiled to herself, knowing that Anna always had a hard time getting out of bed without the promise of something chocolate. "Well get up and get ready now or I won't make you your favorite chocolate chip pancakes."
There was no reply but suddenly Elsa heard a thump that was Anna falling out of bed and a lot of movement. Her small smile widened as she continued on to the kitchen to make the pancakes. The first of the pancakes were almost ready to some off the griddle when Anna came drifting in, clearly following her nose as she sniffed the air with a large smile spread across her face.
"Mmm, chocolate. The most heavenly food on earth," the strawberry blonde drooled as her sister put some pancakes on a plate for her and handed her a mug of coffee.
"So what's on your schedule for today?" asked Elsa as Anna started inhaling her pancakes. "And swallow before you answer."
"I've got English, health and computer science with Kristoff today. What about you?" she asked as a dreamy look filled her eyes at the mention of Kristoff's name.
"I've got the noon to closing shift today at the store so I won't be here when you get back. But I will be back for dinner, so don't go spoiling your appetite with chocolate."
"I make no promises," smiled Anna as she finished the last of her pancakes.
Elsa glared at her younger sibling who shrank back a bit before acquiescing. "Fine, I won't eat all the chocolate in the house. Are you happy now?"
"Yes."
"Why are you still working at The Rack?" asked Anna in a sudden topic change. "You complain almost every night about the conditions, how you're overworked and that it really pushes you. I know you worry about what might happen if someone pushes you too far."
"The retail job is hardly ideal, but we need the income until my art starts selling, if it ever does. I don't expect you to support both of us working at Brain Freeze Yogurt."
"You need to be more positive about your art, you have an amazing eye for color and are the best artist I know."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"No, I really mean it. Your art really is good and you've sold a few paintings already. Before you know it your work will really be in demand and you'll be able to quit that crappy retail job."
A smile brightened Elsa's face as she took a sip of her mocha. She really was fortunate to have someone like Anna in her life.
"Oh, is it alright if Kristoff joins us for dinner tonight?" Anna questioned, breaking the blonde out of her thoughts.
"You know he's welcome here anytime."
"Great, what are we having tonight?"
"I was thinking we would do Chinese take-out. You call it in."
"I will do that," agreed Anna as she put her dishes in the sink and bounded off to her room to finish getting ready for the day.
Elsa liked to hum to herself as she drove to the clothing store she worked at. Today it was Firework by Katy Perry which she continued to hum after parking and walking to the large department store. But the tune was interrupted with a groan when she entered the store and saw a banner advertising a sale. With how understaffed the store was that would ensure she wouldn't get a break her whole shift. Elsa shook her head at the level of idiocy displayed by corporate. They clearly had no idea how to run a store and she wondered how they ever got to be in their current positions by understaffing their stores. The people that did work here had to put up with near constant human abuse as customers cussed them out for helping another customer instead of them. If one could survive a day in retail with their wits still intact then they could handle a lot in life.
'Architects should live in the homes they design and CEOs should work the sales floors of their stores,' she thought.
Working the retail job was both boring and stressful when it seemed everyone forgot that the retail workers were humans too but Elsa did what she needed to in order to earn her pay. To deal with the dull humdrum hours that weren't taken up by assisting people who probably didn't possess any common sense, she did things like mental math. It helped keep her brain occupied and it was something she liked doing. Calculating the volume of boxes from which merchandise was being unpacked and adding up someone's change at the register helped Elsa's day go by that little bit faster.
Finally, after a day of cleaning up after people who couldn't be bothered to do so themselves and dealing with abrasive and sometimes downright rude customers, closing time came and relief washed over Elsa. Another day had passed without an incident. It was her night to lock up and after making sure the changing rooms were all cleaned up, everyone else had left. Elsa was heading for the front of the store when a noise from somewhere in the store stopped her.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out.
Silence was all that greeted her.
It might have been nothing but then it might be someone still in the store looking to make off with some of the merchandise. Elsa decided to make sure it really was nothing and ventured deeper into the dimly lit shop. She was about to chalk it up to nerves because being alone in an empty store at closing time was a bit nerve-racking when she noticed that the door to the stockroom was slightly ajar.
"Is someone in here?" she called again as she entered the stockroom.
If it was possible this place was creepier than the rest of the store. Movement out of the corner of her eye got Elsa's attention and she turned to face the offender.
"Listen, whoever you are, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. It's closing time."
The figure stepped forward out of the shadows but Elsa was in no way prepared for what she saw. What she had originally thought to be a man hoping to make off with something turned out to be one of the window display dummies moving on its own. That… was impossible. Elsa staggered backwards as the dummy advanced towards her soon joined by other display mannequins. They all continued to advance until Elsa was backed up against a wall.
"S-stay back, all of you!" she demanded as she held her hands up in front of her.
The dummies paid her warning no heed.
"I'm warning you, stay back or else!"
Once more the dummies ignored Elsa and raised their hands into the air as though preparing to strike her. She closed her eyes in preparation but was suddenly tackled to the ground by someone very human.
"Come on!" a voice said and then Elsa was aware of being pulled to her feet and dragged back to the main floor of the store, the dummies behind them.
The duo exploded onto the sales floor and slammed the doors shut behind them but immediately they felt the dummies on the other side pushing, trying to get past. They couldn't hold the doors shut forever and Elsa had no key for the storeroom.
"Aren't you going to do anything?" she yelled in panic at her rescuer.
"Yeah, I'm doing something right now!" he snapped back as he took a pen out of his pocket and started drawing something on the doors which glowed for a split second and then the shoving on the other side ceased.
"What did you do?"
"I just ensured that they can't get through," he answered before turning to face Elsa.
After all the fast movement this was the first time she got to properly look at the stranger. He was ruggedly handsome, around six feet tall, had raven black hair swept to his left and startling bright green eyes. He was wearing a brown double breasted long coat that stopped a few inches above his heels, dark blue jeans, an untucked maroon button down shit and grey and white Nike high tops.
"Those were shop window dummies…" she murmured.
"Yes they were," said the stranger.
"And they were moving as though they were alive…"
"Yes and no. Yes, they're moving around like they're alive, no, they aren't actually alive."
"Then what were they? They're plastic, they can't be alive and they can't move like that! And unless they're really skinny, there's no one inside!" exclaimed Elsa, trying to rationalize all of this. The stranger's answer did nothing to help.
"They can move on their own when they're possessed," he stated and spun around on his heel and headed towards the front of the store.
"Possessed? What do you mean possessed? Hey, I'm talking to you!" she exclaimed as she hurried to keep up. He walked rather fast.
"This building has been has been infested by a level three vaporous apparition which is possibly malevolent. Well, not possibly anymore, those dummies tried to kill you back there so we now know this entity is dangerous."
"You're talking like this is something supernatural."
"You're quick, aren't you? And yes, this is something supernatural."
"What?"
Did this man have any idea how strange he was sounding? Things that go bump in the night existed only within the confines of books, TV shows and movies.
"Alright, cut the joke. Is this one of those hidden camera shows or something? Am I on The Carbonaro Effect or something like that? Were those really people wearing suits to look like the mannequins?"
"Do I look like Michael Carbonaro to you? This is not a hidden camera show, I can assure you."
"Then what is it? What's going on?"
"I told you, a level three malevolent apparition is taking over the building and I have to get rid of it."
"You mean you're going to perform an exorcism?"
"Something like that."
"How? I don't see a crucifix on you anywhere and you don't strike me as a priest."
"Well the procedure might be easy or it might be hard, it depends on how much of this department store has been possessed by the entity. If it's invaded too much then I'm going to have to use this little thing my partner whipped up."
The stranger produced a copper colored orb a bit larger than a baseball from one of his pockets that had glowing runes across its surface. Something about it suddenly put Elsa on edge and the slight grin the man had didn't help anything either. The man turned to continue on his path when Elsa saw a shadow approaching him.
"Behind you!" she warned.
The man turned and reacted like lightning, ducking under a blow that had been aimed at his head, grabbing the arm as he came up and thrusting the attacker into the dimly lit walkway. It was another mannequin, one from the sales floor this time and it seemed to be the only animate one. Elsa severely hoped that was the case.
"I do not have the time to deal with you," muttered the stranger as the dummy got up and attempted to tackle him in the gut.
For a second Elsa thought she saw his hand start to glow as he brought it down on his opponent's back. The window mannequin immediately fell apart into a pile of plastic limbs. A dark orange gaseous apparition floated out of the ruined body, growled, and melted into the ceiling.
"And that's why the last thing I need is civilians getting in the way. It really is better if you're not here so please do us both a favor and leave."
Elsa trailed along again, lost in thought and almost ran into her rescuer when he stopped in front of her. Suddenly she noticed that they were at the front of the store and he was holding the door open for her.
"Go on then, go on home and order a pizza or something for dinner. Don't worry about me, forget about all this and don't tell anyone this happened," he smiled as he ushered her outside.
"Why, what happens if I tell anyone?"
"Nothing, people will just think you're a nutter," he replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world and ducked back into the store.
Elsa stood there outside the department store trying to process all of this. Who was that man, why was he going on about malevolent paranormal entities, how were the dummies moving without anyone inside and what was that sphere he had?
The doors opened again and the stranger popped his head back out. "My name's Daniel, by the way. What's your name?"
"Elsa."
"Lovely name, pleasure to make your acquaintance, Elsa…" he trailed off and stared at her intently as if actually seeing her for the first time.
"Do I have something on my face?" she asked after a few seconds under his stare.
"What? No! No, sorry, it's just there's something familiar about you. I get the feeling I've seen you before but someone as beautiful as you, I'm sure I would remember…"
Elsa felt her cheeks heat up at the compliment.
"Then again, maybe I'm just overworked," the now identified Daniel said before remembering what he was doing at the department store in the first place. "Again, lovely to have met you, don't tell anyone about this and run for your life!" he grinned maniacally and brandished the orb before disappearing into the shop again.
Elsa stood there for another second before she turned and ran for her car. She was pulling out of the parking lot when the top floor of the shop exploded, sending out a shockwave that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
What had happened?
And was Daniel alright?
A/N: Sometimes I hate my mind. This is yet another story of mine published before I wanted it to be. Oh well, my imagination is always working. Enough of that now, though, I need your help! I have a few potential story plots on the back burner of my mind right now but desperately need more so please leave some in a review of PM them to me. If you send me an idea and I use it, you'll get credit for it and I'll send you a personal response and a sneak peek at whatever chapter will be coming next. This fanfiction was inspired by shows like Warehouse 13, The Librarians, and X-Files. This is the only chapter in this I will be publishing until I finish A Wish Upon a Star and/or Waking Nightmares, whatever comes first. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review. Don't make me beg.